Hire PHP Developers

Skeptics predict that the PHP scripting programming language should have been replaced by more advanced web development technologies by now. But as practice shows, these predictions were not destined to come true – according to a study of the resource w3techs, 77.6% of all sites with known web programming languages use PHP.

Why has PHP earned such popularity? In this article, we’ll look at the features of this language, what it can give your business, and how and where to hire PHP developers who can use its potential comprehensively.

PHP: Understanding the Concept

PHP, also known as Hypertext Preprocessor, is a server-side scripting language. It is commonly used for web development.

PHP is a programming language that has a distinct code structure that can be recognized simultaneously. Many well-known websites like Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Tumblr, Wikipedia, and Zoom use PHP as their coding language.

However, there are different versions of PHP in use. According to w3techs, version 7 is used by 71.5% of all PHP-based sites, while version 5 is used in 24.3% of web resources. The remaining 4.2% is split between the newest version 8, and the outdated versions 3 and 4.

Advantages of PHP Web Development

PHP is more than 25 years old. Despite such a long history in web development, it still holds a leading position, and the release of each new version increases its performance. Why have developers been using this language for more than 25 years?

• High speed of development
• Ease of use
• PHP development specialists
• Cross-platform
• Broad integration capabilities
• High level of security

Thanks to the above, PHP remains one of the most well-known web development languages. The popular content management system, WordPress, was developed with its assistance and currently holds the top market position, having been used to build 55% of all existing websites.

PHP Development: Areas of PHP Use

Creating easily scalable, dynamic web apps, sites, and programs with graphical UI are areas where PHP is unrivaled. We can highlight five things this scripting language does best:

The extensive community, rich functionality, and variety of frameworks all extend the capabilities of PHP development, making it suitable not only for web programs and sites but also for the server side of mobile software.

In addition, it supports all operating systems, servers, and databases. All this makes PHP a universal scripting language. Hire PHP developers to get a dynamic, easily scalable product to make the most of it.

What to Look at When Hiring a PHP Developer

It can be challenging to hire a PHP developer if you lack the technical knowledge and skills. Therefore, firstly, it is essential to understand the competence of the PHP development specialist.

Such a specialist works with the software’s internal part to create the basis for a web app or website. However, to effectively perform their tasks, PHP developers should have a basic understanding of front-end development. It enables seamless communication with all members of the team.

Responsibilities of a PHP developer:

1. Developing web programs and websites using PHP and creating server-side apps for mobile devices as needed using PHP frameworks:
2. Laravel, CodeIgniter, Symfony, Zend, and others.
3. Designing the service architecture, working with the code’s architecture, and making the site’s core.
4. Testing the created software, bug fixing, and post-release support.
5. Making changes to existing projects.
6. Working with other team members to find the best solutions in software of PHP development.

First, lay out your basic requirements for the future hire, and define your brackets.

When creating a job listing and conducting initial interviews, specifying the hard and soft skills required for a developer to perform their job effectively is essential. These skills are necessary for the developer to carry out their primary responsibilities.

Required hard skills

The phrase “knowledge of PHP development” gives a too general idea of what kind of specialist you need. Therefore, specify the mandatory requirements for a candidate in a more detailed way:

• Knowledge of other programming languages, including JavaScript, a style sheet language CSS, and The HyperText Markup Language HTML.
• Ability to work with key databases (MySQL, PostgreSQL, Oracle, and others).
• Experience with common design patterns (Factory, Strategy, Singleton, etc.)
• Knowledge of PHP tools: Compose dependency manager, PSR specification, PHPUnit unit testing environment.
• Experience in REST API development.

The list can be longer depending on the needs of the specific company. For example, your project may require knowledge of microservices architecture, Doctrine, Eloquent or other ORM technologies, Docker software platform, GraphQL data query language, etc.

Required soft skills

The development of any software involves, first and foremost, well-established teamwork. Therefore, to hire a PHP programmer that suits your company perfectly, a candidate should have specific personal characteristics besides technical knowledge and skills.

• Good communication skills: Your programmer should know how to communicate with team members, customers, project managers, and senior management is crucial for developers. If they need help with communication, there may be better jobs for them.
• Ability to solve complex problems: Analyzing a problem, finding alternative solutions, and making decisions can be critical to the project’s success.
• Ability to adapt: This trait is fundamental if you opt to hire a dedicated PHP developer. Working with a new team with its traditions and communication style can be challenging for a new specialist and hinder their success.
• Learning mind: It’s good to keep in mind that no one knows everything. Just because a PHP developer hasn’t worked with JS or PHP Unit before doesn’t necessarily mean they’re not skilled enough to complete the job. As long as they can learn quickly, they can handle it.

The list of soft skills can also vary at the manager’s discretion. For example, suppose you need to hire a dedicated PHP developer to be a team leader. In that case, you can add to the above list the ability to make plans and schedules, influence team members, and make crucial decisions.

How to Hire a Good PHP Developer: 6 Steps to Success

It is not recommended to assume that you can easily find a reliable backend php development specialist by relying solely on the first online job search platform. It is crucial to approach this process with more thoroughness.

Here are a few steps that will allow you to find and hire a PHP programmer:

Analyze your project and determine its features and primary requirements. Based on this information, you can create a list of requirements for your PHP programmers.

Remember to mention the necessary technical requirements, desired personal qualities, requirements for work experience, and knowledge of foreign languages (as a rule, for any developer, knowledge of English at the Upper-Intermediate level is a must).

Decide on the channel of the applicant’s search. You can hire a freelancer, turn to outsourcing companies or hire an employee on staff. We’ll take a closer look at the advantages and disadvantages of each method below.

Additionally, you can examine the diversity and relevance of projects in the portfolios to your needs. Look for case studies or detailed project descriptions demonstrating the developer’s involvement and problem-solving skills. Check for reviews, testimonials, or ratings provided by previous clients.

During the face-to-face meeting, check the accuracy of the information in their CVs. A few questions about a particular project will let you know if the applicant has dealt with the mentioned tech stack in practice or has only heard about it at school.

Now you know the 5 steps to hiring a developer you need. Now, where do you look for the candidates? It’s an excellent time to discuss channels for finding a PHP developer.

Where to Hire PHP Developers

We have already mentioned several ways to hire PHP programmers – take a new employee on staff, use the services of freelance specialists, or go to an outsourcing company and hire dedicated PHP programmers. Can’t decide which one to choose? We’ve put together a complete guide for you on each of them.

In-house employees

Do you already have a development team that needs only a PHP developer? Or are you planning to create several products in this language and support them after the release? Then this option is best for you. Having the technical knowledge to find a candidate independently is good, and a professional IT recruiter can do it.

Advantages:

• The company’s head retains control over development, while employees remain accessible at all times. Even while working remotely, they can attend office meetings like retrospectives.
• Team members are familiar with each other, which often eliminates communication problems.
• When you hire a PHP developer, they work in the same time zone and speak the same language as the rest of your team.

Disadvantages:

• Additional costs for fixed salaries, space rental, and recruiting agency fees if you don’t have your HR function.
• Time costs. Hiring a full-time employee can be pretty time-consuming, especially if you don’t have the necessary experience.

When new employee joins full-time, they may struggle to adjust to working with the team or take a while to get comfortable.

Freelance services

Nowadays, freelance exchanges are a popular way to find IT specialists. However, it’s important to note that a php developer offering services on freelance platforms will work unofficially and may only be suitable for short-term cooperation.

Advantages of hiring a freelance PHP developer:

• Relatively low cost of services.
• Suitable for small projects and short-term cooperation.

Disadvantages:

• Difficulties with assessing the qualifications of the freelancer – such cooperation involves a remote format and excludes a face-to-face interview.
• Unofficial employment does not provide the client with any guarantees – so that the project is not at risk of failure. You have to rely on the decency of the developer.
• One freelancer can work on several projects (and more often, this is the case). The development quality can suffer from this.

To perform small tasks that do not affect the performance of the entire project, it’s better to turn to freelancers.

Dedicated PHP coders

Hiring dedicated PHP developers combines the benefits of working with freelancers and in-house hiring, eliminating these options’ risks. Specialized outsourcing companies search for such developers. They choose candidates following your request and interview them. And they often allow the customer to participate in the interviewing process themselves.

When you make a decision to hire dedicated PHP developers, the main thing in successful cooperation with an outsourcer is to choose a proven company with many years of experience in php development and positive reviews.

Advantages of opting to hire dedicated PHP developers:

• Considerably lower service prices than in-house specialists. Turning to outsource, you can expect to reduce costs by up to 40%. And the ability to choose a specialist from another country allows for additional savings – the difference in hourly rates in different countries can be as much as $40.
• SDLC reduction. Hiring PHP developers for dedicated work takes three times less than hiring a staff member. And the faster you staff your team, the sooner users see your product.
• Unlike freelancers, you can count on long-term cooperation after you hire a dedicated PHP developer. It means the ability to support the product after its release.

To summarize

This guide provides you with the ins and outs of the process of hiring skilled PHP developers. It emphasizes the importance of PHP in the web development landscape and the increasing demand for skilled PHP professionals.

The guide breaks down the essential skill set, both basic and advanced, that a proficient PHP developer should possess. These include familiarity with various PHP frameworks like Laravel and Symfony, understanding of OOP concepts, and expertise in SQL databases.